Professional Background

Dr. Darren (D.J.) Garcia, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Kansas Medical Center and a licensed psychologist in the State of Kansas.

Dr. Garcia earned his Bachelor of Science in psychology, with magna cum laude honors, and his Master of Science in general psychology, with an emphasis in child development, both from Brigham Young University. He then earned his Doctor of Philosophy in clinical psychology, with a minor in statistics, from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He completed his APA accredited predoctoral internship and his postdoctoral fellowship in advanced clinical psychology at the University of Kansas Medical Center prior to joining the faculty in 2022.

He is passionate about training and education. He has taught various undergraduate psychology courses as an adjunct instructor and guest lectured at multiple universities. He currently serves as a lecturer and clinical supervisor of psychotherapy for the clinical psychology internship and psychiatry residency programs. He also serves as the research coordinator for the APA accredited internship program and advises both psychology interns and psychiatry residents in the development of original research, using both qualitative and quantitative methods.

Dr. Garcia’s areas of clinical expertise include individual psychotherapy with adolescents and adults, couple's therapy, personality disorders, mood disorders, and comprehensive psychological evaluation using a multimethod assessment approach. He is an active member of the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Society for Personality Assessment (SPA). He works primarily from a psychodynamic existential therapeutic framework but is competent in multiple therapeutic modalities. He provides services in both Spanish and English.

  • BS, Psychology , Brigham Young University, Provo , UT
  • MS, Developmental Psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
  • PhD, Clinical Psychology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
  • Internship, APA Accredited Psychology Internship, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS
  • Post Doctoral Fellowship, Psychopathology, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas
  • Licensed Psychologist, STATE OF KANSAS BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES REGULATORY BOARD